Creating a safe environment for learners and the community

ESGA is well positioned to provide services to assist educators and institutions in fulfilling the legal requirements that address and regulate health

and safety at schools.

Website: www.esga.co.za | John Buswell, Managing Director | Email: john@esga.co.za | Telephone: +27 83 943 0173 or +27 31 5726690

In terms of South African law, a school is a juristic person required to comply with Section 15 of the South African Schools Act, 84 of 1996. One of the roles of ESGA is to assist educational institutions in complying with the Act.

As per the Act, all educators and management act in loco parentis, meaning, in the place of a parent. Educators and school management have an obligation to provide care and supervision to learners and ensure their physical and psychological wellbeing.

Learners, parents and guardians are increasingly aware of their legal rights. The teaching profession should be aware of its legal duty towards learners under its care and control, as well as the risks to which educators could be exposed should they not fulfil these duties. ESGA is well positioned to provide services to assist educators and institutions in fulfilling their obligations.

ESGA offers an array of training programmes to assist educators and management in ensuring a safe environment for learners at school.

Current ESGA training services and programmes include:

1. ESGA Membership

For the first time in South Africa, schools are able to join an association geared specifically towards providing a unique service designed to meet the requirements of the National Department of Basic Education, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and the South African Schools Act for Safety and Good Governance.

The benefits of membership with ESGA include:∙ Access to professional advice on child protection (24-hour helpline)∙ A copy of the Child Protection Manual∙ Permission to use the ESGA logo and school membership branding∙ Access to NOSA-accredited Occupational Health and Safety, Child Protection, Fire Safety, First Aid and Drug Testing Training at a 10% ` discount∙ Membership to a recognised forum for discussion, networking, sharing good practice and continued professional development∙ Regular newsletters on the latest occupational health and safety information

2. ESGA Basic Safety Workshop for School Safety Committee Members

This workshop will enable South African schools to implement safety policies as required by law and accepted as best practice.∙ Schools safety programme compliance with government safety regulations∙ Electing a safety committee to oversee safety and security matters at your school ∙ Formulating a school safety policy in consultation with all relevant stakeholders∙ Undertaking a rapid risk-management assessment ∙ Basic safety equipment requirements

3. ESGA Advanced Safety Workshop

The Advanced Safety Workshop will enable delegates who have successfully completed the basic training to further their safety skills and adding value to the school safety committee.

4. Drug Testing Officers Workshop

The National Department of Basic Education has provided a policy framework for the management of learner drug abuse by staff in schools. This workshop educates and empowers the school testing officers.

5. NOSA Education Sector Kit

This system kit is an electronic manual containing more than 320 individual documents designed to assist educational institutions (pre-schools, schools, colleges and universities) with the establishment, implementation and ongoing management of an integrated HSE management system, consistent with the requirements of the NOSA Integrated Five-Star System Standard for the education sector (CMB700).

6. Prevention and Management of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programme for Primary and High Schools

This training programme is unique to South Africa and follows the themes of health promotion and personal development. The content of the programme falls within the curricular guidelines of both the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) and the National Senior Certificate (NSC).

7. ESGA Prevention and Management of Peer Victimisation within the School Environment

Research shows that bullying is often a precursor to aggression and, if not addressed, may lead to more acts of violence. A comprehensive array of topics on bullying is addressed in this workshop.

8. Specialised First Aid Courses for Educators

ESGA offers a series of customised first aid courses for the school environment. These accredited courses are offered throughout South Africa over weekends as well as school holidays. First aid has a course progression pathway whereby an educator moves from level one to three. An educator also has the option of completing combination courses, that is, level one, two and three combination courses.

9. School Governance Workshops

ESGA is proud to launch a series of specialised workshops aimed at the development of management skills within the education sector. These workshops will cover the following topics:

∙ Protocols and procedures to follow when dealing with a crisis in the education environment∙ Disciplinary hearings ∙ Development of policies∙ Staff motivation ∙ Legal management obligations

10. Cyber Safety Workshop for Educators and Management within the School Environment

This workshop includes the following topics:

∙ Development of a cyber-safety policy for the school environment ∙ Understanding cyber predators∙ User agreements with members of staff, learners, parents and outside service providers∙ The prevention of exposure to pornography ∙ Developing a positive cyber culture within the school environment

11. Other current ESGA Products offered:

∙ First aid kits∙ Health and safety signage and equipment ∙ Evacuation plans∙ Fire extinguishers

Website: www.esga.co.za | John Buswell, Managing Director | Email: john@esga.co.za | Telephone: +27 83 943 0173 or +27 31 5726690

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